Immortal Beloved
by L Moonshade
Summary: Methos finds another soul mate. Will he lose her so soon?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Wraith is the only thing that belongs to me. Anything you recognize belongs to someone else, or I wouldn't be writing this as fanfiction. I'll play nice and return them when I'm done.

A/N: Just fixing some typos I noticed that were driving me crazy and tidying up language. Nothing major has changed.

A/N 2: RR! Feed the muse!

**Chapter 1**

Duncan MacLeod knocked on the door, but heard only a grunt in response. Duncan sighed, Methos was going to lose his head due to carelessness, one of these days, and let himself in.

"Good Lord, Old Man, how much beer have you had?" he said, looking at the slew of empty cans around the apartment. They were everywhere; floor, chairs, tables, counters.

"Too much, probably," Methos said. He was still wearing the black slacks and blue button-down shirt he'd gone to class in, but he'd lost the tie and his shirt was open. His blood-shot eyes testified to the fact that the cans had been recently emptied.

Duncan went into the kitchen and grabbed a garbage bag, then came back in and started clearing the mess. "So, what sorrows are you trying to drown, now?"

"It's one of my students."

"What's he doing? Cheating? It can't be that bad."

"It's she. And, she is amazing."

Duncan stopped and turned to Methos. "Don't tell me…"

"She's beautiful, funny, intelligent, compassionate, honorable…Did I mention beautiful?"

Duncan sighed and went back to clearing beer cans. "Damn it, Methos, can't you stay out of trouble? How bad is it?"

"Do you remember when I told you I'd never fall in love with an Immortal? Too much of a commitment?"

"Yes," Duncan said slowly.

"Apparently, what I meant was, I hadn't found anyone worth it."

"She's Immortal?"

"Pre."

"I never thought…How does she feel about you?"

"Are you kidding? She's all of thirty, maybe. There's no way she'd be interested in someone like me. Older—if she only knew!—a teacher…"

"How long have you felt this way about her?"

"A couple of years. She's a senior, I met her when she was a freshman."

"So, why are you drinking about it, now?"

"She's sick. No, worse, she's dying."

Duncan winced. "What does she have?"

"It's terminal, Mac, there's no cure, there's no treatment, even, and she'll be dead within months. What does it matter?"

Methos knew Duncan didn't understand his outburst, but, even as much as he trusted Duncan, he wasn't going to reveal this secret. An Immortal mutant would be a big deal and, the fewer who knew, the better.

Duncan threw out the last can and sat down. "How is she taking it?"

"Bravely. She's prepared, but she doesn't want to die. There's a lot she still wants to do."

"And you don't know whether or not to tell her that she may not have to."

"Got it in one."

"My advice? Tell her. Everything. Then, stand back and let her make her decision. She may surprise you and ask you to make it with her."

Methos heaved a sigh. "I'm not sure I can."

"I can't do it for you…" Duncan paused and looked at the door, just as someone knocked.

"Pre-Immortal," he said softly.

"I know," Methos said, moving quickly to open the door.

She would have been pretty, had she been in full health, Duncan thought. Pale skin showed dark circles under sunken eyes. She was nearly a match for Methos' six feet, with an athletic build that hadn't faded completely. Naturally high cheekbones and narrow face would have given her an elfin look, but thinness made her look gaunt. Reddish-black hair lay limply in a pony-tail, pale blue eyes were clouded with pain and fatigue.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Professor…" She trailed off as she caught sight of Duncan. "Oh, you're busy. I'll go."

"Wraith, I'm never too busy for you, don't you know that?" Methos said with such tenderness that Duncan thought this girl must know his feelings. "Come in," Methos continued. "This is Duncan MacLeod, an old friend. Mac, Akiko Logan."

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Logan," Duncan said, standing and offering a hand.

"And you, but, please, call me Wraith," she said, taking his hand in her own gloved one.

"Then I'm Mac. I'm sure I'll see you later."

"Oh, don't let me chase you away."

Duncan gave her a warm smile. "Not at all, I was just leaving. Adam."

"Mac. Thanks for everything."

"Any time, Old Man."

"Old Man?" Wraith asked, sitting down.

Methos shut the door. "It's a long story." Methos settled next to her on the couch and took both her hands in his. "How are you, Wraith?"

"Akiko, please. I'm not good, Professor, the doctor's given me about a week. I'm saying my good-byes here before going back home. I needed to see you before I left."

"No more 'Professor,' then. Call me Methos." He lifted her hands to his lips. "Thank you for coming to see me."

"You're the best friend I have, here. The only one that's stuck by me since I caught Legacy."

The Legacy virus had begun by affecting only mutants, before an evolved strain had jumped to normals. Even though it was a threat to all of humanity, sufferers were still discriminated against by most.

"I'm not one to turn my back on the people I care about. And, I care about you so very much."

She smiled. "I know. I wanted to tell you everything, I owe you that much."

"You don't owe me anything. Not just because I love you."

"No, but I do because I love you. I'm a mutant, Pro…Methos."

Wraith looked down, afraid to see his reaction. He put his hand under her chin and lifted her face so she could see him.

"That doesn't change a thing. Not who you are, not how I feel about you."

She closed her eyes and let out a sob of relief. Methos was simultaneously pleased that he could give her this and angry that acceptance was so rare.

"Thank you," she said quietly. Then, "This isn't how I really look." She took a device off her belt. "It projects a holographic image of a normal human."

"Then, turn it off. I want to see you."

Wraith hit a button and the pale image flickered and died. Her basic shape was the same, but her ears were pointed, her eyes uniformly white, her hair flowing from the center of her forehead like a mane, coming to a point near her knees. Her skin—normally pitch black, Methos guessed—was gray with the pallor of her illness.

"You're beautiful," Methos breathed. "Absolutely stunning." He drew her close and kissed her, tenderly, gently. "Now, it's my turn. Do you want something to drink?"

"No. I just want to listen to you talk."

Methos settled back against the back of the sofa and gathered her into his arms. "I love you," he began. "I love you and I'll stay with you to the end, whatever and whenever that may be. But, I'm not done, so just listen.

"I'm not a mutant, but I'm not normal, either. I'm something else, entirely. An Immortal."

Wraith nodded. "I knew you were something…Are you really that old?"

"I thought I told you to be quiet," Methos said fondly. "Roughly, I'm five-thousand years old."

"I'm not surprised." She offered a smile that showed a hint of her former glory. "I always did have a thing for older men."

Methos would have laughed, but he was too close to tears. He was so close to losing her just when he'd found her, the first woman he'd ever wanted to spend centuries with.

"We can be killed, but only by beheading. We fight each other, taking each other's heads and essence, until there's only one. That one wins the Prize, whatever that is. No one knows. We can sense each other, a buzz that gives us a bit of warning."

"How did you become Immortal?"

"We're born that way. The Immortality itself isn't triggered until a violent death. Anything unnatural."

"If it's not triggered?"

"The pre-Immortal lives, grows old, and dies, just like normal. Except, we can't have children. No one knows where we come from or how we're born; as far as anyone knows, there have been no Immortals actually born to the people who raised them."

Methos paused, letting her take all this information in. He knew that she'd put two and two together, figure out what he was driving at and why he'd told her.

"Dad found me in a dumpster," she finally said.

"I'm not surprised."

"Are you sure?"

"Not all of us can sense a potential Immortal, but Duncan and I both can. You've got a difficult choice, Akiko. If you want me there, I'll be by your side, every step of the way, doing whatever I can to help."

Wraith pulled back. "If I chose to just die, you'd have so little time with me. You could just watch me die?"

Methos brushed her cheek with the back of his hand. "If that's what you want or need from me, then, yes, I could. I'll take whatever time I can. Whether that's a week, a lifetime, or a hundred lifetimes, I'll take it. The alternative is unthinkable."

Wraith smiled, tears falling down her cheeks. "I love you, Methos, and I do want you with me."

He took her face in his hands and kissed her, then drew her close again. "When are you going home?"

"Tomorrow," she said, then gave him the details.

Methos called the university's travel office and gave them the information, then hung up with a promise they'd get him a seat on the plane.

"You look exhausted."

"I am. Can I stay here, tonight?"

"Of course. Take the bed, I'll sleep out here."

Wraith kissed him, a tender gesture that broke his heart with all the love it promised. "I want to wake up next to you in the morning."

They made love slowly and gently, in deference to her weakened state. Afterwards, she lay cradled in his arms, crying over what she'd lost, and what she'd found in the process. Methos held her, comforting and soothing her with words that meant nothing, until she cried herself to sleep.

In the morning, he woke to find her watching him with a smile. He was pleased to see a look of peace on her face; whatever decision she made, he wanted it to be the right one for her.

"I was going home to die, but not from Legacy. That's not going to change. Whatever happens after that, happens."

Methos smiled and kissed her. "Then, let's get you home."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Just fixing some things that were driving me nuts, nothing's really changed.

A/N 2: As before, I'm not really familiar with the mechanics of the Legacy Virus so, I'm sure I've screwed it up. Apologies to anyone who's offended.

**Chapter 2**

"Wraith. Welcome home."

She smiled at the school's founder and headmaster. "Thanks, Charles," Wraith said as the two embraced. "It's good to be home."

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired; the trip took a lot out of me, but, at least I wasn't alone. This is my boyfriend, Adam Pierson. Adam, Professor Charles Xavier."

"A pleasure."

Methos took the hand the Professor offered. "Likewise."

"Is Dad here?"

"No, he went to get Shadowcat, they should be back shortly. In the meantime, however, Beast wishes to speak to you. He says it is of the utmost importance."

"I'll go see him now, then."

"He's in his room. Adam, why don't you go with? Cyclops can take your things to Wraith's room."

"Absolutely," Cyclops agreed.

"Thanks."

"Nice meeting you," Adam said, snaking an arm around Wraith's waist. "Lead the way."

The two men watched them go, Cyclops with a slight frown. He liked Wraith well enough and was willing to give her some leeway, since she was so sick, but there were some things he just didn't like.

"A bit intimate for public display, don't you think?"

"Not at all," the Professor said sadly. "He is holding her up."

Wraith knocked on the door, was answered with a, "Come in." She opened the door and she and Methos entered Beast's room.

Methos blinked. "It's not that he's got blue fur. That doesn't bother me. It's the fact that he's reading while hanging upside down from the ceiling."

"Quite a comfortable position, though I would not recommend it for one without the proper physiology," Beast said, dropping to the ground. "Wraith, how are you?"

She disappeared as the large man embraced her. "I've been better, but I'm okay."

"Good, good. It is good to have you home." He pulled back, offering a hand to Methos. "Dr. Henry McCoy, but you may call me Beast."

"Adam Pierson, Wraith's other half."

Beast smiled sadly. "I'm glad to hear that. Please, come outside. I have important news."

They went out onto the balcony and settled into the chairs that were out there.

"Is it good or bad?"

"Fantastic and terrible. With the help of Moira's work, I've been able to find a cure."

"But, it may not be in time for me."

Beast took both her hands in his huge paws and met her gaze. "It's worse than that. It needs to be administered the same way Legacy was released."

"I don't understand," Methos said quietly.

"Legacy was unleashed when an infected mutant used his powers, which triggered the virus and killed him. Legacy always progresses, but faster the more the afflicted mutant uses his or her powers."

"What Hank needs is to inject the cure into an afflicted mutant, who then needs to trigger her powers."

"Which will kill you."

"I don't know," Beast said, turning to Methos. "With Wraith's advanced stage it is likely; if not immediately, perhaps too quickly for the cure to take affect. There is a slim chance that she will survive and receive benefit from her actions. But, I am afraid that it is a very slim chance."

Wraith and Methos looked at each other. They said nothing but they didn't have to; they each knew the ramifications. Beast stood and went back into his room to give them privacy.

Methos gathered Wraith into his arms and held her close. After a long moment, he spoke.

"Do what you have to," He said, voice breaking. "We both know what it could mean if you do and what it means if you don't. Whatever you decide, I'll live with it, and I'll be there with you."

"I love you, Methos, and I wish I could promise more time. I'm sorry…"

He pulled back, took her face in has hands, and spoke sternly.

"Don't you dare apologize. It's the answer I expected, it's a large part of why I love you so much. I'd rather lose you for good knowing you did the right thing than have you with me, regretting your decision."

"It's not enough time."

"We could have centuries and it wouldn't be enough. Come on; we'll go say your good-byes."

"You'll stay with me?"

He kissed her, putting all his love into the gesture. "Until the end. The alternative is unthinkable."

They left Beast's room, though not before Wraith was given the cure. Beast cautioned her not to wait too long—the stronger she was, the more likely she'd be to survive—and she promised she wouldn't.

She and Methos were at the front door when it opened. Wraith was immediately tackled by a teenaged girl.

"Careful," Methos said.

"It's okay, she didn't hit me with her full mass."

"Yeah, I know better. I missed you, Wraith."

"I missed you, too, Kitty."

"Move it, Kiddo," a man growled. Kitty phased out, letting Wolverine walk right through her.

"Hi, Daddy."

"Hey, Angel," he said, drawing Wraith into his arm. "How ya doin?"

"Okay. We'll talk."

"Yeah. I'm glad you're home."

"So am I."

"Who's the guy?" Wolverine said, stepping back.

"My boyfriend, Adam. Adam, my dad, Logan."

"Nice to meet you," Adam said, offering a hand.

Wolverine ignored it, lighting a cigar. "Yeah. Y'know, I really wanna hate ya."

"I'm sure you do. I'm not an easy guy to like."

Wolverine chuckled in spite of himself. "Maybe yer not so bad, after all. Ya wanna beer, Honey?"

"Love one, thanks."

"C'mon, Adam, we'll get the girls drinks."

Methos cast Wraith a pleading look. "I'm not going to get out of this, am I?"

"Sorry, no."

Methos gave a long-suffering sigh. "Alright, then."

Wraith didn't move until the men were out of sight. Kitty didn't say anything, but watched Wraith curiously.

"I didn't want Dad to see. I need some help."

"It's that bad? Lean on me."

"You'n Akiko don't have long," Wolverine said, leading Methos to the kitchen.

"Believe me, I know."

"If you're with her cause o'pity…"

"I've done a lot of things for a lot of reasons, but never out of pity. I'm with her because I love her and want to spend whatever time I can with her."

"An if somethin happened and she got better?"

Methos met Wolverine's gaze. "Then my prayers would be answered."

Wolverine could see how much Methos loved Wraith and how much this hurt him. When he spoke again, it was with a kinder tone.

"When it's time, ya take her where she wants ta go. Should be just the two of you."

"Thank you."

When they found the girls, they were in the TV room. Wraith was on the sofa, Kitty on one side, a man on the other, while a few other people sat elsewhere in the room.

"That's Gambit, and you've already met Kitty," Wolverine said. "Cyclops, Jean, Nightcrawler, Storm, Angel, and Psylocke. This is Adam, he's with Wraith. C'mon, Honey. We need to talk."

Methos helped her to her feet. "You'll be okay?"

"Yeah."

She left with Wolverine, leaning on him, though she didn't want to. They went just outside, to the patio, where they sat on the swing, his arm around her.

"He know why ya came back?"

"I told him. It's likely not going to get that far, though. Hank found a cure, but not for me."

"What d'ya mean?"

"It's got to be released the same way Legacy was. If I survive for long enough, the cure will work on me. But, I'm so far along…"

"Triggerin yer powers'll likely kill ya. Damn."

"At least I can do something, at least my death will do some good. Daddy, thank you for everything. I've been able to find the strength to deal with this, thanks to you."

"Aw, Baby. Yer the best thing's ever happened to me. C'mon. Let's get you back to yer guy. I ain't gonna be there, Honey. Figure, it's his place, now. If it means anythin, I approve."

"Thanks, Daddy."

Once back inside, Wraith settled next to Adam, while Wolverine sat on her other side. They stayed there late into the afternoon so she could say goodbye to her friends as they passed through. Finally, though, she couldn't put it off any longer and turned to Methos.

"Okay," he said quietly. "Where do you want to go?"

"There's a little clearing in the wood. It's not far."

She turned and hugged her father. He held her tight, not saying anything for a long moment.

"I love you, Angel, and I'm proud o'ya."

"Thank you. I love you, too, Daddy."

Methos helped her up and into the woods. She was right, the clearing wasn't far, but it was private and sheltered. They sat down, Methos with his back to a tree, Wraith in his arms.

"Whatever happens, thank you. For being my friend, for loving me, for making me happy." She sighed. "Not nearly enough time."

"It never is. Oh, Akiko, I love you, I love you."

"I love you, too."

For nearly an hour, they lay there in silence, taking what time was promised to them. Finally, though, they both knew it had to be done.

"Will I see anything?" he asked.

"Just my eyes; they glow, or so I've been told."

Methos reached into his pocked and pulled out a dagger. "If I have half a chance."

They kissed deeply, then Wraith pulled back. "I love you, Methos," she said, wanting those to be her last words.

Her eyes did glow, not white, but a myriad of colors. What she was doing, Methos didn't know or care. He just watched those eyes, looking for the moment.

Suddenly, without warning, the colors died and she went limp in his arms. He struck true, hoping against hope that she'd hung on long enough, then threw the knife away. He gathered her lifeless body close, rocking her and crying. He finally cried himself to sleep, still holding her.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Wraith took a deep, gasping breath, her body arching with the effort, and Methos tightened his grip, pressing his lips to her forehead. A flow of tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Welcome back, Love."


End file.
